San Antonio Flavor celebrates the local culinary scene by bringing together San Antonio restaurants who lead the foodie scene in our city. Select beer, wine and cocktails add to the VIP-style soiree that is, San Antonio Flavor. Food and drink lovers enjoyed the top, most highly regarded restaurants and bars in San Antonio.The “Whole Foods Market Culinary Showdown” is a highlight of Flavor this year. Top chefs from San Antonio will pair up with local celebrities to create a unique, mouth-watering dish. Each of the 4 team will have 30 minutes to stir up a winning quick-fire dish to impress our judges. The winning duo wins bragging right for years to come!

A panel of expert food judges, along with a selection of audience judges will choose the winning team. A limited number of raffle tickets will be sold before and during the event to give our guests a chance to be a judge on stage. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised from the raffle will go to Culinaria.

Culinaria is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to promoting San Antonio as a premier food destination while fostering community growth and enrichment. Culinaria also supports local students pursuing a degree in culinary arts. Learn more about Culinaria at www.culinariasa.org

Restaurants

Your taste buds will sizzle with beer samples from Alaskan Brewing and food samples from these amazing restaurants.
More restaurants will be added, please check back for updates.

Arcade

Bakery-Lorraine

Bavarian-Brauhaus

Bite

brooklynite

Canyon-Cafe

Citrus

Esquire

Feast

Folc

Friendly-Spot

Gwendolyn

Kimura

The Last Word

The Monterey

Senor-Veggie

shuck-shack

Texas-Pride-BBQ

Thai-Topaz

Tre-Tratorria

trinicakes

uncommon-fare

Vida-Mia

Wiseguys

Sponsors

This event would not be possible without the help and support of our sponsors, showdown participants, restaurants and partners. THANK YOU to the following for helping to make this event possible.

Alaskin-Beer

Barefoot

blue-nectar

deep_eddy

Jackson Family Wines

North-Park-Subaru

old-forester

whole-foods

woodford

Whole Foods Market Culinary Showdown

The “Whole Foods Culinary Showdown” is a highlight of Flavor this year. Top chefs from San Antonio will pair up with local celebrities to create a unique, mouth-watering dish. Each team will have 30 minutes to stir up a winning quick-fire dish to impress our judges. The winning duo wins bragging right for years to come!

A panel of expert food judges, along with a selection of audience judges will choose the winning team. A limited number of raffle tickets will be sold before and during the event to give our guests a chance to be a judge on stage. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised from the raffle will go to Culinaria.

Chefs

Jason Dady

Chef Jason Dady is an innovative pioneer of the culinary culture in San Antonio and developed a reputation of top quality, excellence and professionalism in food, service and hospitality. Chef Dady is the Executive Chef and Owner of Umai Mi Modern Asian Restaurant & Bar, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, The DUK Truck, B&D Icehouse and Dady Premier Catering. Dady’s palate pleasing concepts have resonated with clients and critics alike on a local and national scale.

Robbie Nowlin

Executive Chef, Citrus at Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

Executive Chef of Citrus at the Hotel Valencia, Robbie Nowlin is a leader in today’s culinary scene. Chef Nowlin draws upon both his culinary and life experiences; most notably his time at the three Michelin Star restaurant The French Laundry. His dishes for Citrus demonstrate his precision and creativity in the kitchen and include seasonal adaptations of luxury items. Chef Nowlin has elevated Citrus at the Hotel Valencia and taken the cuisine to an entire new level.

Lisa Astorga-Watel

Chef/Owner Lisa Astorga-Watel, is proud to present her new restaurant, Bite.

Chef Lisa Astorga-Watel grew up in Santiago, Chile before moving to Houston, Texas where she attended The Culinary Art Institute. She went on to have a successful career as a private chef for celebrities before meeting her husband, Chef Damien Watel. The couple is now married with one son named Enzo. Bite's menu is eclectic with a "70's modern twist" taste and portions are directly influenced by Chef Astorga-Watel's travels around the globe.

Stefan Bowers

After a five year career as a Naval Search and Rescue Helicopter Crewman Stefan Bowers began his culinary career with stints working in La Jolla, CA and Houston, TX. In 2005 he set his roots in San Antonio. Stefan was the Chef de Cuisine at The Lodge of Castle Hills under Chef Jason Dady for three years and Executive Chef of 20nine Wine Bar for another three. In 2011 he signed on as the Chef of FEAST Restaurant in Southtown which has become a San Antonio pioneer within the independent dining scene. Stefan is currently poised to open two marquee restaurants in 2015; the first being within the newly renovated St. Anthony Hotel and the second at the famous #7 Fire House in the Lavaca district.

Celebrities

Sean-Elliott

Spurs TV Analyst & former San Antonio Spur

Sean Elliott was a starting small-forward for the San Antonio Spurs from 1989-2001. A two-time All-Star, Sean helped the Spurs win their first NBA championship in 1999. He was a college standout at the University of Arizona, and in 1989, Sean was the John Wooden award winner and broke the PAC-12 scoring record formerly held by Kareem Abdul Jabar. Sean is now in his 14th season as the Spurs television analyst, and has been married to Claudia Zapata since 2001. Sean and Claudia have 3 children.

Brent Barry

TNT TV Analyst & former San Antonio Spur

Brent Barry was the shooting guard for the San Antonio Spurs and won two championships with the team in 2005 and 2007. In the summer of 2004, Barry was signed as a free agent by the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs’ new lineup helped them beat the Nuggets in the series four games to one. Later in those same playoffs, Barry earned his first championship ring when the Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Finals. In June 2007 he won his second NBA championship ring when the Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–0. Brent Barry is currently a game analyst for TNT.

Ursula Pari

KSAT 12 Anchor

Ursula Pari is a 20-plus year veteran of television broadcasting. She has anchored both the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and Nightbeat newscasts on KSAT 12 since 1996. She is also the mother of two small children, Jackson and Georgia. Ursula is a busy and willing volunteer for a variety of local nonprofit organizations. As the mother of two children suffering from potentially serious heart conditions and a high blood pressure patient herself, Ursula strongly supports fundraising and education efforts to help the AHA. She has four horses, as well as a dog and a cat.

Hosted by

Chuck Cureau

In-Arena Host for the San Antonio Spurs

Chuck Cureau is a native of San Antonio and is a familiar face in the city. He's been an animal trainer and performer at SeaWorld for 27 years and has also served as a corporate spokesperson. Chuck is also the in-arena host for the San Antonio Spurs and can be seen and heard at games leading the crowd in a "Go! Spurs! Go!" In addition, Chuck is an actor who has appeared on local morning talk shows, network television shows, commercials, and major motion pictures.

Photos & Videos

Check out all the fun from last year’s inaugural Flavor event.

Want to Judge?

The Twin Liquors Lottery

We know you have an opinion, here’s your chance to speak up! Thanks to the Twin Liquors Lottery, you now have a chance to judge some of the top chefs in San Antonio! For $5 you can enter to be a VIP Audience Judge for our Whole Foods Market Culinary Showdown. Judge alongside foodies, top chefs, former Spurs Sean Elliott and Brent Barry, and KSAT’s Ursula Pari. How cool is that?! One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Culinaria, so bring your cash, bring your opinions and enter for your chance to win. If you’re chosen, not only do you get to be a VIP Audience Judge, you also get a gift basket valued at $500.

Tickets are $5 for one, or 5 for $20 and can be purchased at the event. Look for the Twin Liquors Lottery booth the day of the event and get your tickets!